dee dee

(Yusuke was fairly easy to redesign, his hair has a thicker texture and styled with a fade. I didn't realize he would end up so adorable- but even though he's got a tough-guy attitude and a reputation as a punk, who winds up fighting literal demons, he's still a 14 year old with a funny side, and having a genuine sweet smile doesn't make him any less strong. for Keiko, I was thinking about some of the hairstyles I saw with different music/movie stars in the 80s/early 90s, so she has her hair short, with an a-symmetrical part, with lots of tiny curls. while all these characters are now Black and Japanese, for Keiko and Yusuke specifically; as they grew up, the a-hole adults around them would wrongfully judge Yusuke before he even started misbehaving... and perhaps that even added to it. despite the divide other people tried to impose on them, Keiko never let that interfere with how much she cared about Yusuke. this negative double-standard is even more harsh with Hiei and Yukina; they're twins, but he was immediately rejected by their community, while she was accepted- Hiei also gave that negative energy right back to world for a long time, but along with the others, he literally becomes one of the most important people in MULTIPLE worlds, helping to save the existence of billions. they're MORE than "good enough", and they didn't have to somehow "stop being who they are" along the way. for most of these kids, this is something they all have to kinda deal with in the backgrounds of their lives.

for Kurama, I gave him thick braided locs that still follow the original "shape and flow" of his hairstyle, pulled into a larger braid behind his head before letting the lengths fall down his back, a little darker at the tips. Hiei's hair is done in thick, wide coils that all have a distinct shine to them. Kuwabara was fairly easy, I changed his skin-tone and features slightly, and added more definition to his curly hair, plus a gradient to show that he dyes it a bright orange/red up top. Botan was a lot of fun, I love her so much! she's one of my favorite anime girls ever, so I wanted to do her justice; her hair has a thicker texture and is a darker blue at the roots, she has little bairds trailing down by her ears, and several more tiny braids where he hair is pulled back into a ponytail. finally is Koenma, who doesn't have a lot of details, he was already a chibi-baby, but I still wanted to convey certain things in this redesign, so he's got some little finger coils sticking out from under his hat.

Description begins.

[image: Five pairs of dogs showing playful behaviors. From left to right: A dog playbows to another, a dog hipbumps another, a dog chases another dog that is running away, a larger dog rolls on its back, playfully wiggling to a smaller dog, and lastly, two dogs play bitey face.]

The Play Way with Amy Cook PhD. playwaydogs.com

illustrated by Lili Chin doggiedrawings.net

Social Play is an excellent way for a dog to be in a happy state of mind and to be physically relaxed or loosened up. Playing also lets us know if a dog is truly relaxed or concerned about anything, so we can more effectively help them feel better.

Good play is an INVITATION. We invite our dog when they are looking at us, not when they are busy. We don't pressure them, as grabbiness, pushiness, and nagging are a turn-off. Pause and greet again before making a new suggestion. If your dog doesn't take up your suggestion but is still attentive, try something new.

FLIRT! Use SUSPENSE.

Not all play involves touching, but good play will have an element of suspense! Take pauses. Do not rush.

Yes: Start with slower, softer energy.

Yes: Give your dog plenty of room to move around freely.

Yes: Invite, wait, listen to your dog's response (body language)

Yes: Take "no" as an answer. PAUSE. Try something different.

No: Don't make your dog feel trapped or overwhelmed.

No: Don't make your dog wrong.

You want your dog to feel SAFE to open up and play with you.

IF you touch your dog, use the 3-SECOND RULE. Pull back after 3 seconds, staying engaged. Does your dog come back to you?

[Image sequence: Greet: A human claps their hands then says hi and reaches their palms out towards a small dog, which wags its tail. Friendly Pause: The human pauses, kneeling on the ground gently reaching out towards the dog, which stands still, confused. The human leans back, bringing their arms back in. The dog orients to them, thinking: “maybe”. Greet Again, New Invitation: The human turns away from the dog, folding down towards the ground and turning their face to look at the dog from over their shoulder. They say, hello! The dog approaches the human. Then, the human taps their fingers along the ground, and the dog playfully investigates, thinking “interesting”. Finally, the human leans back up, still kneeling, playfully wiggling their fingers in the air in front of them, and the dog happily play bows.]

With SOCIAL PLAY, the use of toys or food is not essential because you are not teaching your dog how to play. You are playing with your dog and learning what they like!

[Image: A vertical gradient scale goes from a reddish 8 at the top to a yellow 1 down at the bottom. A dash-line box encloses the numbers 5, 4, and 3, and the happy faces of a human and dog.]

Be in your dog's ENERGY RANGE!

What is your dog's energy level?

If your dog is overexcited (eg, 8) slow down to a 6-7.

If your dog is unsure or shy (eg, 2) try 1-3.

Play is a CONVERSATION. Here are some ideas to develop a "play vocabulary" with your dog:

YOU are the PREDATOR!

* Stay on the floor

[Image: Four vertically aligned orange squares showing play moves: 1. “Claw” Hands- Hands outstretched, fingers curled into “claws”. 2. Flat Hands- Hand outstretched, fingers pressed flat together, wrist bent back. 3. “Bitey” hands- A variation on “claw” hands where the fingers wriggle to “bite”. 4. “HAR” mouth- a human with their mouth open in a bitey-face gesture.]

[Image: A series of play interactions between a human and a dog. 1. The human play bows at the dog, kneeling with their arms splayed out onto the floor, saying “I’m gonna getcha!” 2. The human holds claw hands out towards the dog- Suspense! 3. The human gently pushes the dog back on the chest, saying “Silly puppy!” The dog pushes back towards the hand. 4. The human uses bitey hand to gently grab at the dog’s muzzle, and says “Bite you!” 5. The human uses a finger to poke the dog’s butt. 6. “Head butt!” The human gets on all fours and butts into the dog’s side with their head. 7. The human uses bitey hand to grab at the dog’s butt. “Bite your butt!”]

YOU are the PREY!

[Image: Four vertically aligned orange squares showing play moves: 1. Hiding face- A human hides their face behind their hands. 2. Pulling away- A human on all fours leans away from the action. 3. Piano hands- a human dances their fingers across the floor. 4. Rolling, flopping over- a human rolls onto their back, legs in the air and arms folded into their chest.]

[Image: A series of play interactions between a human and a dog. 1. A human crawls away from a dog on all fours, then peeks over their shoulder at the dog, asking “Gonna get me?”. Then, the dog jumps up onto the kneeling human. The human rolls onto their back and celebrates with the dog, “You got me!” 2. The human kneels, folded forward onto the floor doing piano hands. They say “Hello”. The dog approaches, and the human hides their face from the dog. Then, the dog fake bites the human’s cheek, tail wagging. 3. A dog watches curiously as a human shakes out a blanket. The human then hides under the blanket and the dog climbs up onto them, thinking “You silly! I get you!”]

How is your dog responding?

[Image: a human kneels on the floor and watches as the dog walks away from them. It thinks “need to look.”]

If your dog disconnects from you and looks towards something more interesting or concerning (that is not too close), let them process the other thing. Don't pressure them to come back to you.

When you let your dog look and dismiss the other thing on their own, the more of their attention that you really have when you get it!

NOPE. You are being WEIRD.

[Image: four examples of a dog showing stress. 1. Look Away: A dog turns and looks away. 2. Shake off- A dog shakes off like they’re wet. 3. Stress yawn- A dog yawns. 4. Busy Sniffing- a dog sniffs the ground.]

At first you may get a lot of "Not Now"s. If your dog shows confused signals or becomes busy doing other stuff, hold back. (Especially with the “shy" dogs) Your dog may not understand what you are doing.

When they approach you again, check your energy level, greet again, and try something different.

[Image: A human wiggles their fingers at a dog, which play bows with an open mouth and says “Bite you!”. Another drawing of the dog play bowing facing forwards and panting, tail wagging.]

When you do something that your dog likes, they will keep coming back to you. Their bodies are loose and curved. They may roll around, jump on you, or fake-bite you. They may even laugh!

Now that you know what your dog likes, you can do it over and over again!

Taught by Dr. Amy Cook playwaydogs.com

illustrated by Lili Chin doggiedrawings.net

you know how in the original game, her hair is artificially curled in ringlets when she’s chasing her sister’s unobtainable standard, and it’s naturally straight when she rebels against that ideal and remembers her true self? I thought it would make sense to invert that for this sumire, wherein she artificially straightens her hair while trying to become kasumi, but wears it curly when embracing who she really is. although fans often dislike that OG sumi starts wearing the ponytail again at the end — as it feels like she’s regressing back to the “kasumi” persona — I felt like this would also fix that problem, since the curly updo still looks uniquely sumire while keeping the part where she honors her late sister’s style <3